Sunday Afternoon Reflections - My Other Side

Ok, so I know I come off a bit wordy and nerdy most of the time. I just have soooo much to share, and well, all of those years with all of those Catholic school teachers encouraging us to use our "big words" and lots of interesting adjectives and adverbs created a monster, I guess. But honestly, I'm eternally grateful to Sister Anunciata, and Sister Marionette, and Mrs Sarna, among others, for raising the bar a bit higher than many teachers would. The truth of the matter is I'm really not as stuffy as I may seem to be on here at times. In fact, I am THE brat of the family. I even have a necklace to prove it!

 

And of course, my beloved hubby couldn't stop there, because he's probably more painfully aware of my true personality than anyone else on the planet (although I think my daughter probably comes in second - at least til the grandkids are old enough to really mess with!) - so I also have this necklace.

I'm guessing you're seeing a trend. I also have one that proclaims me as a skootch (a yiddish term of endearment that I think is right up there with "pain in the a**") as well as another one with Al's nickname for me - "Cashew" - since he thinks I'm nutty, sweet, and just a tad twisted.

So, yes, I do have a very normal (okay, normal in MY opinion), down to earth and downright silly side.  Does it come out very often? Well, "often" is a relative term - and when I'm around my relatives, it tends to come out! Some of my finer moments include surprising Al shortly after I moved in with him by planning a special outfit for bed... you see, he had mentioned that when I slept, I sometimes made these cute little gutteral noises like one of our favorite Star Wars characters, so... humbled by his comparison, I thought he deserved to sleep with the real thing... the look on his face as he pulled back the covers to soothe away the migraine his kids told him I had was priceless - and well worth the money I spent on the Chewbacca costume rental.

I don't always go quite so far to pull a prank. On the simpler side, I've put Karo syrup in the soap dispenser in the bathroom, and I did don a cheap short auburn wig one time before he got home from a business trip (he likes neither darker or short hair) and bursting out in tears only to run into the bathroom while I listened to him console me about how quickly it was sure to grow out.  Little did he know that 2 minutes later when I emerged it would be back to its then long blonde locks!

Don't go feeling sorry for him either - he's created his own share of chaos and mayhem over the years. Not so much with me (probably because he's aware of what I'm capable of to return the favor), but I did hear about the time his ex-wife was showering and he snuck in the bathroom and waited for her to soap up before he grabbed her ankle.  I'm surprised he's still alive! 

The real victims in our pranks tend to be our kids... more his than mine because I think mine are simply more used to my silliness.  On one visit with us, his daughter Kim was greeted at the airport with a HUGE "Happy Birthday, Buffy" sign... and we had kind of talked everyone hanging around the waiting area to join in with wishing her birthday greetings. Needless to say, it wasn't her birthday, and she cringes a bit at the nickname Buffy.  We couldn't stop there though.  I think we celebrated "Buffy"s birthday at about 5 different restaurants over the course of that visit - with the staff breaking out in song each time.

Dining with us at casual restaurants tends to be an unforgettable experience for the young'uns.  We've done everything from completely re-arranging the table and switching seats to the opposite seating arrangement when they left to use the rest room, to the inevitable "We thought YOU were treating, we can't afford this," when the waitress came to collect the check. I've always wondered why the kids offer to do their own laundry while they're here, but I think I just figured it out!

I've always loved joking around and playing practical jokes, but one thing I think I've enjoyed more than anything else over the years is dressing up. Halloween has seen me in some crazy and quirky outfits - from the Energizer Bunny, to an old crone, and even a medical claim back in my days as a claim adjustor. I've also played the Easter Bunny at work, in addition to being one of Santa's Elves, and the Statue of Liberty. Annual visits to the local Renaissance fair typically find me in costume - and in character! And of course, if you've followed my blog for any amount of time - you've seen the wedding photos!  When Al and I honeymooned in Disney World, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to send this e-photo back home to everyone to let them know I was alive and um, uh... well?

Yes, there is one of Al as well, but he won't let me have it to share. Chicken shi*.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know I really do have a much less business-like side. I guess I just need to show it more often!

Hope your weeks gets off to an amazing start and is filled with lots of opportunities for fun and laughter!

xo,